30th March 1812: The seven Nottinghamshire Luddites sentenced to transportation leave the town forever

The seven men sentenced to transportation at the Nottingham Lent Assizes - William Carnell, George Green, Benjamin Hancock, Gervas Marshall, Joseph Maples & Robert Poley - had been waiting for several days for their removal to the South of England. Amongst the authorities, there were concerns that a rescue may be attempted.

Special arrangements had been made for their journey. Two Bow Street officers - Pearkes and Adkins - had arrived in Nottingham on Saturday 28th March 1812 to facilitate their removal from the Town Gaol with the least possible fuss. The Bow Street men had arranged with the proprietor of the stage-coach to hire the whole vehicle for all of the journey and an escort of Hussars were to ride with the transport removing them at some distance from Nottingham.

On Monday 30th March, the stage-coach was brought to the prison at 5.00 a.m. All seven men were handcuffed prior to leaving the prison and moved to the coach as quickly as possible, with a simultaneous signal being given to the cavalry to mount up and surround the coach. Pearkes and Adkins were to ride with the coach themselves, with one of them inside and one on the outside at all times.

The crowds the authorities had expected did not materialise in significant number, not doubt due to the early hour. As it was up to 40 people turned up, but the speed of the operation and the numbers involved meant nothing material occurred.

The coach and escorts stopped at Leicester to breakfast, and apparently drew some crowds out of curiosity. On their way again, the cavalry escort left the stage-coach a few miles out of Leicester, to be replaced by another escort of the Blues.

The seven Luddites arrived at Newgate prison in London the following day. By Thursday, they had been delivered to the prison hulks at Woolwich, their home for several weeks. Although a petition signed by four thousand Framework-knitters had been sent to the Prince Regent asking for mitigation, the men would begin their forced journey of several thousands miles and several months to Van Dieman's Land in June, never to return.

19th March 1812: Judge Bayley writes to the Home Office about the outcome of Nottingham Lent Assizes

(Private)

Nottingham

18 March, 1812

Dear Sir,

The Assizes here have finished, with the exception of one case for a threatening letter, to be tried—tomorrow morning. There have been two Acquittals, and as I think rightly, and the other persons have been found guilty of transportable offences, and some I have sentenced for l4 years, some for seven, but as you may perhaps wish to know something of the cases to exercise your Discretion upon them, I will notice them very shortly —

Wm. Carnell aged 22 & Jos. Maples aged 16} were both found guilty, and sentenced for 14 years: Carnell was the Leader and Director of a mob of 13 who broke into a House about 8 in the evening, and destroyed 7 frames—but he had the merit of protecting the occupier of the House, an old man of 70 from any personal violence; Maples called several witnesses to prove he was the whole evening a quarter of a mile off, and tho’ the Jury disbelieved them, I am not quite clear that the verdict was right. However, Maples was apprehended the next Night with a pistol about him.

Benjn. Poley aged l6 — pleaded guilty: and the particulars of his case were not detailed.

Benjn. Hancock aged 22 was proved to be a Ringleader where the mob amounted to above 1000, and many of them had arms, and where Frames to the Value of £400 were destroyed at one House: He had a very good character, but was clearly at the head of that outrage.

Gervas Marshal aged 17 Geo. Green aged abt. 22} were also found guilty as being of Hancock’s mob—They were probably drawn into the outrage, without considering the consequences—and Marshall and Green had very good characters. They were all however proved to have broken Frames, Marshall went into a Shop for the purpose the two others contributed to break them after they were thrown out of the shop window.

I shall adjourn the Assizes till the 5th of July, unless some of the persons in the Commission shall first come on given Days in April, May or June, and the Juries have been so far ready upon fair Cases to convict, and the Magistrates during the Assizes have behaved with so much vigilance that I think the spirit of outrage will not break out again. I may however be too sanguine.—I am [etc.]

J. Bayley

18th March, 1812

I have opened my letter to say that the Case upon the threatening letter terminated in an Acquittal, upon a variance, but I think it right to mention that it appeared in evidence that one of the witnesses, on the part of the prosecution had sent away from the Assizes yesterday a Servant in the House whom he knew the prisoner had been endeavouring to subpoena, and had it not been for the Acquittal it is very probable that conduct would have excited considerable indignation.

I enclose a note handed up to me by the Gaoler from Carnell, which shews that his spirit appears subdued. Of course I did not see the man, but desired him to make any Discovery he thought fit to the Gaoler or to Mr. Hobhouse.

17th March 1812: The trials of Robert Poley & Joseph Peck at Nottingham Lent Assizes

The Nottingham Review's coverage of the Nottingham Lent Assizes continued with this account of the trial of Robert Poley & Joseph Peck, which was published in the 20th March 1812 edition:

Robert Poley, aged 16, charged with frame-breaking at Sutton-in-Ashfield, on the 13th of November last, was next brought to the bar, and pleaded guilty: in consequence of marks of contrition, the Judge sentenced him to seven years transportation. After which, Joseph Peck, aged 17, was brought up, and pleaded not guilty.

The first witness called was Francis Betts, Hosier and Chapman, at Sutton-in-Ashfield, who stated, that on the 13th of November, 1811, in the afternoon, four or five men approached his house, and asked his permission to break his frames, to which solicitation, as might naturally be expected, he refused his consent. He then saw a multitude approach, armed with sticks; and on a gun being fired, he heard a great shout for the hammer men to come up, who entered his house, and from the noise he heard, he supposed they were breaking his frames. He then fled for his own personal safety; and on his return, he found more than twenty frames broken, and some of his household furniture.

Dennis Horsecroft stated that he resided at [obscured] remembered on the day stated in the indictment to be [obscured] five to six hundred men, armed with guns, axes, hatchets [obscured] &c. proceed towards Sutton-in-Ashfield and have [obscured] [partially obscured] them thither, he saw a number of frames cast [obscured] Bett’s window into the Street, where the prisoner, [obscured] was using his almost endeavour to demolish them [obscured] [partially obscured], and heard him call out his comrades “damn your eyes, smash away.” He knew the prisoner from a child: he had no doubt as to the identity of his person.

Thomas Chadwick was next sworn; and he stated, that [obscured] 13th of November, he saw a great number of persons assembled at Kirkby, and followed them from mere curiosity to Sutton-in-Ashfield, when he saw the prisoner, armed with [an axe], or a bludgeon, stand by a man who was breaking of frame with [a] hammer. The prisoner, on being called upon for his defence said, that Horsecroft struck the frames as well as himself. The Judge, in his charge to the Jury, stated, that in a lawless assembly, the act of one person became the act of the whole. The Jury immediately found the prisoner Guilty: and the Judge, in passing sentence of transportation upon him for the term of Fourteen Years, remarked the simplicity of the prisoner’s defence; pitied his youth and gave him hopes of mercy on the ground named to Carnel and Maples.